Eight equestrian-specific workouts to suit any rider's body, age, ability, and schedule.
It is no secret that riders often neglect their own needs in
order to ensure their horses' are met. Countless dollars go toward massages,
chiropractic work, and various other therapies that keep our equines
comfortable and performing their best. We carefully schedule their training
programs to achieve peak fitness at just the right time, and we juggle our
personal lives--careers, family, you name it--around it all. But horse sports are
a partnership, and if we want our horses to be at their best, then we have to
be at ours, and that means paying careful attention to our own athletic bodies.
Most riders argue they simply don't have the time to work out and still give
their horses the time they need, so certified personal trainer Laura Crump
Anderson has written a book that specifically targets the ever-present dilemma
of how to fit fitness into a horse-crazy lifestyle.
Beginning with explanations of why strength, flexibility,
and balance is important to achieve out of the tack, Anderson provides
important rules and guidelines for stretching, weight training, and cardio to
keep you safe. A lifelong equestrian herself, she then approaches the
scheduling issue head-on, helping readers determine where best to fit in the
minutes they need in the places they need to be anyway--the tack room, the
arena, the barn aisle. Using only basic items you are likely to find around the
stable, she keeps equipment needs straightforward, recognizing that the less
likely it is you forget something, the more likely it is you'll get that
workout in.
Readers are then treated to eight original fitness routines
and two stretching routines. Full color photographs of top riders, including
Jan Byyny, Sloane Coles, Kaitlin Clasing, Lauren Sprieser, and Sharon White,
and USEA Groom of the Year Rachael Livermore demonstrate how to perform exercises
effectively, and step-by-step instructions ensure you get it right.
About the Author: Laura Crump Anderson is a lifelong equestrian who realized from an early age the importance of recognizing and caring for riders' bodies as athletes, as we do for our horses. Anderson found herself with a chronic overtraining injury to her spine without ever having set foot in a gym. Through physical therapy, she was able to continue riding and caring for her horses. This inspired her to get her degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science. Anderson is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and has completed a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Alliance. She founded Hidden Heights Fitness in Lovettsville, Virginia, and has worked with equestrian athletes of all ages and levels--from weekend warriors to former Olympians in the disciplines of dressage, eventing, and show jumping. Her favorite thing to do is help riders discover the strength to communicate better than they ever thought possible, or--if starting again or starting over--get back to where they once were.
